Winding machine



Nov. `11, 1947. L. AQHlKoK 2,430,507

WINDING MACHINE Filed Aug. 3, 1945 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented Nov. 11,`1947 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE ai'asov WINDING MACHINE Leon A. Hickok,Johnson City, N. Y., assigner to United Shoe Machinery Corporation,Flemington, N. J., a corporation of New Jersey Application August 3,1945,.Seria1 No. 608,757 (c1. 242-20) 4 Claims. 1

The present invention relates to improvements in machines for windingsewing machine bobbins or other thread packages, of the type comprisinga rotating mandrel for drawing thread from a source of supply through awaX- 2 ing or other thread treating device, of which the machinedisclosed in United States Letters Patent No. 2,343,935, granted March14, 1944, upon an application led in the name of Paul W. Seneben, is anexample.

The machine of the patent to Seneben above identified has, in additionto its winding mandrel and waxing device, a thread cutter for severingthe thread whenever e'zcessive tension occurs as a result ofinterruption of the normal thread movement. Interruption of normalthread movement may occur from any of several causes, includingexhaustion of the main supply of thread or the presence of ranenlargement in the diameter or slub of thread such as will interferewith its passage Ithrough a close fitting guide or stripper in thewaxing device.

The supply of thread is applied initially to the machine in the form ofa cop of thread wound upon a central ber support tube, and the nal endof the thread is tied to the tube so that, when the supply is exhausted,movement of thread through the waxing device will be interrupted. 'Ioprevent such excessive tension on the thread when the supply isexhausted as will cause thread breakage at a location which will requirerethreading the waxing device and thread guides elsewhere in themachine, the thread cutter of the patented machine acts between thewaxing device and the winding mandrel so that the severed end of threadwill be wound on the mandrel without withdrawing the thread from thewaxing device. To causethe cutter to be actuated, a spring is connectedthereto and restrained from operation by a latch for the cutter undercontrol of the tension on the thread. In applying a new supply of threadto the machine with the cutter located and actuated in this way, it isnecessary only to disconnect the final end which is tied to the supporttube and connect that end with the leading end of a new supply, drawingthe connected ends manually past the guides and through the waxingdevice.

As a means to avoid thread breakage Within the waxing device upon thepresence of an enlargement in diameter, knot or slub in the thread, thelatch for restraining operation of the thread cutter has connected toit, in the patented machine, a thread guiding pulley surrounded by aVsplit thread retaining cage having a narrow passage for the thread. Anenlargement which is not admitted by the cage, therefore, will not passthrough` the Waxing device, and the thread cutter, accordingly, will beactuated by the continued pull on the thread during winding operations.

In the use of the patented bobbin winding machine, however, when thespeed of rotation of the winding'mandrel has been increased above twothousand revolutions per minute, it has been found insome instancesthat, upon the interruption of normal movement in the thread from thesupply for any cause, the thread cutter is not able to operate withsuicient speed to prevent breakage between the waxing device and thesupply. The waxing device must therefore be rethreaded after threadbreakage in spite of the thread cutter arrangement referred to, thethread frequently becoming broken within the Waxing device vwhere thesurfaces are covered with adhesive plastic substance, thus rendering itdicult to locate and remove short or broken thread ends.

It is accordingly an object of the present invention to @avoid thediiculties above enumerated and to provide a bobbin winding machine ofthe type described capable of operating at high winding speeds, in whichthe thread will, upon the occurrence of an interruption in the normalthread movement from the supply, be severed with certainty between theWinding mandrel and the waxing device at a location Where there isneither an opportunity for the thread to be broken within the waxingdevice nor a necessity for rethreading the waxing device.

Other and more general objects of the invention are to improve theconstruction and mode of operation of a bobbin winding machine such asthat disclosed in the patent to Seneben above identied.

An important feature of the invention hereinafter more fully described,therefore, resides in a winding machine having a relatively highspeedrotating mandrel for supporting a bobbin or other thread package andhaving a springoperated cutter for severing the thread when excessivetension occurs, in which there is provided means for limiting thetension on the thread to an intensity below that which Will break thethread, so that sufficient time will be given for proper actuation ofthe cutter after application of tension. In the constructionillustrated, the tension limiting means consists of a thread engagingmember for retaining a length of thread greater than that which isrequired by the Winding oper-ations between the times when the normalsupply is interrupted and the thread is cut. The thread engaging member,according to this feature, is acted upon by a spring for yieldinglyresisting movement of said member with a force sufficient to cause thecutter to be actuated but with insuicient force to cause threadbreakage.

These and other features of the invention relating to certainconstructions, combinations and arrangements of parts will be understoodmore fully from the following detailed description taken in connectionwith the accompanying drawings, in which Fig. 1 is a view in right sideelevation of the upper portion of a bobbin winding machine embodying thefeatures of the present invention;

Fig. 2 is a detail view on an enlarged scale of certain parts of themachine illustrated in Fig. l, indicating the operation while movementof thread from the supply is normal;

Fig. 3 is a similar view of the same parts of the machine, tak-'en when'theY movement of thread is interrupted or otherwise becomes abnormal;

Fig. 4 is a detail sectional View, on a still further enlarged scale,taken on the line IV-IV of Fig. 5, of a thread guide for interceptingenlargements or knots in the thread: and

Fig. 5 is a plan view of the thread guide illustrated in Fig. 4.

The winding machine herein illustrated and more fully disclosed in theSenfleben patent above identified is provided with arotating windingmandrel or spindle 6 to which a series of empty bobbins may be attachedand automatically wound with thread to a predetermined depth, thewinding operations being transferred from one bobbin to anothersuccessively while the spindle rotates continuously until all thebobbins are lled'. The winding spindle is sup ported in suitablebearings in the main frame 8 of the machine and is connected to analined drive shaft (not shown) rotated by an electric motor I0.

1n order to insure accurate termination of the winding operations, thethread leading to the mandrel is severed before rotation of the mandrelis stopped, so that the mandrel may come to rest thereafter Withoutrequiring the inertia of the rotating parts including the motor to beabsorbed abruptly. Before being' carried to the winding spindle, thethread' is drawn through a heated waxing device comprising a pot I2having an internal guide iliand a surplus wax stripper I6'.

The thread supply consists of one or more cops each having a centralfiber support tube I8, the thread' being led endwise from a cop andpassing through one of a series of slotted guide tubes 20, upwardly overone of three alined guides or pulleys 22 and then downwardly through aslotted guide tube 24' into the wax pot I2. In case an enlargement, knotor slub is present in the thread, it will become jammed in the threadguides, particularly in theA wax stripper I6, thus causing threadbreakage, unless suitable provision is made to prevent it. Such breakagegenerally willE occurV in the wax pot I2', a-nd the broken end will bedrawn'through by the winding operations, thus leaving the other end inthe pot where it may be retrieved and the pot rethreaded only byseparatingthe pot from its mountings.

In order to prevent thread breakage when the supply of thread isexhausted, a spring actuated thread cutter similar to that indicated at26 is provided in the patented machine, acting along the lead of thethread between the wax pot I2 and the winding spindle 6. rIhe threadcutter 26 is arranged to be actuated also when all the bobbins on thespindle are filled with thread as well as when undue or excessivetension exists in the thread, following such obstruction to normalpassage of thread as would cause thread breakage. Thus, the thread issevered automatically whenever the' supply of thread on the copsupporting tube I8 is exhausted or whenever the normal movement ofthread is interrupted in any way.

Toinsure actuation of the thread cutter when the' supply on the copsupport tube I8 is exhausted, the final end of thread is tied to thetube so as to prevent passage of the end through thguide tube 20, thetube I8 striking the frame beneath the guides if the cutter does notoperate soon-encugh. Interrupting normal movement of thread through theguide tubeA thus increases thetension sufficiently to cause the threadcutter 26 to be actuated in the manner indicated, leaving a length ofthread in the wax pot and both ends'A outside Y readily accessible.

The thread cutter 2tl comprises a sharp edged plate or" knifehav'ing arib' secured in a groove at' the free end of an arm on' a cutter lever28, rotating loosely on the end of a xed shaft 3i). Coiled about'v thehub of the cutter lever is a spring 32 for' actuating the cutter, oneend being hooked around the cutter' lever and the other end passingthrough anopening in the lug of a collar 34 fixed? tothe outer end ofthe shaft 30. Tor restrain the' cutter in inoperative position duringwinding operations, the shoulder formed by the rib on' the cutter plateor blade is engaged by a projecting portion of a latch arm 36 pivoted ona pin! 38 secured in the arfn of a lever 40 also rotatably mounted onthe shaft 30. rlhe latching arm' 3W is'yielding'ly'maintained in raisedposition, supporting at its free end a bolt 4I on which the pulleysv 23Yrotate. When excessive tension is applied tothe thread between thesupply and the mandrel or spindle S?, the thread acting on the pulley22S disengages the latching projection iirom the cutter 26 and enablesthe cutter to move across' tlie path of the thread between the Wax potand the mandrel or spindle into engagement with an anvil rod 42` shapedto cause the cutter' bladeto shear the thread and to clamp the severedend` of thread extending from the wax pot between' the arm of the cutterlever 23 and thef anvil rod 42. A similar releasing action of the'cutter is' effected whatever the cause of tension in the thread whetherby an enlargement or' slub in the thread becoming wedged within therestricted opening of a thread cage 44 surrounding a pulley" Z2 on thelatching lever 35 or otherwise. thus far described, the construction ofthe parts and the operation thereof are? similar' to those illustratedand described in theA Senfleb'en patent When the machine isl operated atrelatively high speeds with amandrel rotation above two thousandvre'volutions per minute, diiculty arises from` failure of' the cutterto sever the thread before the tension in the thread is built up to thebreaking point. The inertia of the cutter lev'e'r 2'8 and the latch arm3'6 are such that a greater' time is required for the operation of thecutter than for' the vWinding mandrel to withdraw fall available slackin the thread and to 15 apply 2, breaking tension to the thread. Underthese conditions, the tube I8 will strike the frame beneath the guides,as shown in Fig. 3, and the thread will be broken or pulled loose fromthe tube in such a manner as to require the machine and wax pot to bewholly rethreaded.

ln accordance with the principal feature oi the present invention as hasbeen stated, means is provided in the machine of the Seneben patent forlimiting the tension below the breaking point of the thread between thetime the supply is interrupted and the thread i5 severed by the cutter.The means for limiting the ten sion on the thread below the breakingpoint whenever interruption of the normal supply in the thread occurs,comprises a yielding thread restraining member, the yielding force ofwhich is suicient to cause the cutter to be actuated but insufficient tocause thread breakage. Thus, when the supply of thread is exhausted onthe support tube I8, tension will immediately be applied to the threadsufciently to cause the out ter to be actuated but thread will be givenup yieldingly for a suitable length of time to enable the cutter tosever the thread with certainty.

Instead of leading the thread directly from a guide tube 20 to a latcharm actuating pulley in the manner described in the machine of thepatent referred to, the thread in the present machine is carrieddownwardly from the upper end of the guide tube 2@ beneath one of aseries ci auxiliary pulleys 46 and upwardly to a corresponding guidepulley 22 on the latch arm, thus holding aside in restrained position aloop cf thread of substantial length. The auxiliary pulleys are mountedon an arm 118 pivotally mounted on a screw 50 threaded into an uprightblock 52 secured to the frame of the machine.

To maintain the auxiliary pulley supporting arm @S yieldingly in threadrestraining position, Le arm is held in lowered position by a spring dstretched between a pin on the arm and a pin on the block 52. Theauxiliary pulleys lle also are surrounded by a series of cages held instationary relation with the arm 48 by a pin 58 passing through aprojection on the arm 43 and through indentations in the edges of thecages 51S. With this arrangement, when the supply of thread is exhaustedon a support tube I8, the tension on the thread is immediatelyincreased, causing the arm 4B to rise until the spring actuated cutterhas an opportunity to sever the thread.

In order to avoid undue wear at the upper ends of the guide tubes 20`and to prevent passage of enlargements, knots, etc., in the thread tothe wax pot, the upper ends of the tubes are ntted with a quickthreading guard plate Eil secured by screws '62 to that portion of themachine frame which supports the upper ends of the guide tubes. Theguard plate has U-shaped inities through the ends of which screws 62 tosecure the plate to the machine frame, i substantially straight slottedcentral portien receives the threads from the guide tubes. If anenlargement in the thread of 'greater dianeter than one of the slotsattempts to pass the guard plate, it becomes wedged within the slet,causing tension to be applied to the thread and the thread cutter to beactuated in the usual way. By locating the guard plate between theauxiliary thread restraining pulleys and the supn ply, all danger ofthread breakage upon interruption of the normal supply is avoided.

Having thus described the invention, what l claim as new and desire tosecure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

l. A winding machine, having a mandrel for supporting during formation awound package of thread, a spring-operated cutter for severing thethread when excessive tension occurs, and a thread supply, said machinecomprising means for supporting the thread on the supply for delivery tothe mandrel and for increasing the tension on the thread uponinterruption of normal thread movement, in combination with means forlimiting the tension below the breaking point of the thread between thetime the supply is interrupted and the time the thread is severed by thecutter.

2. A winding machine, having a mandrel for supporting during formation awound package of thread, a spring-operated cutter for severing thethread when excessive tension occurs, and a thread supply, said machinecomprising means for supporting the thread on the supply for delivery tothe mandrel and for increasing the tension on the thread uponinterruption of normal thread movement, in combination with a yieldinglyrestrained thread engaging member for retaining a length of threadgreater than is wound upon the thread package between the time thesupply is interrupted and the time the thread is cut.

3. A winding machine, having a mandrel for supporting during formation awound package of thread, a spring-operated cutter for severing thethread when excessive tension occurs, and a thread supply, said machinecomprising means for supporting the thread on the supply for delivery tothe mandrel and for increasing the tension on the thread uponinterruption of normal thread movement, in combination with a threadengaging member for retaining a length of thread greater than is woundupon the thread package between the time the supply is interrupted andthe time the thread is cut, and a spring for yieldingly restraining saidmember with a force sufficient to cause the cutter to be actuated butinsufcient to break the thread.

e. A winding machine, having a mandrel for supporting during formation awound package oi thread, a spring-operated cutter for severing thethread when excessive tension occurs, and a thread supply, said machinecomprising means for supporting the thread on the supply for delivery tothe mandrel and for increasing the tension on the thread uponinterruption of normal thread movement, in combination with a yieldinglyrestrained thread engaging member for retaining a length of threadgreater than is wound upon the thread package between the time thesupply is interrupted and the time the thread is cut, and a guard platefor interrupting the movement of thread upon the presence of anenlargement in the diameter of the thread, located along the threadbetween the supply and the yieldingly restrained thread engaging memberto prevent passage of such enlargements to the winding mandrel.

LEON A. HICKOK.

